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Greg and I recently went to a business meeting in Fremont, a quirky nearby Seattle neighborhood. There wasn’t much walking involved that day so I left my coat and flats at home in favour of a blazer and higher heel. I was a little cold, but braved the outside photo session because the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

Smart casual dressing was perfectly adequate for this business meeting so I put my own Chanel-inspired gal on the go formula into practice. I tweaked the formula because I wanted to wear boot cut jeans with cream heeled oxfords (the ones where I’d shortenedthe heels a while ago).

This outfit may seem like the kind of thing I usually wear, but it has elements that are new to my style. First, I’m wearing the Talbots striped tab sleeve tee I wrote about last week. I do not wear t-shirts or knit tops unless I am sleeping in them – yet here I am in a tee. (The sky is going to fall on our heads). The drape and variegated stripe on this 100% rayon tee cannot be beat. It outshone the countless items of striped knitwear I tried, which is why the tee ended up in my closet. I’m happiest wearing it as a layering piece under a dressy jacket even though it has cute tabs on its three quarter length sleeves.

Second, I finally found a big gold watch that works. I couldn’t for the life of me understand why gold watches weren’t working when I started experimenting with the look. Then I realized I needed one with a white mother of pearl face. Aha! The soft pearl face made all the difference and now I can’t stop wearing my new gold watch with my gold wedding rings.

Third, no pearls. And this is a Chanel inspired formula. My recent style epiphany calls for clean, simple, modern and bold outfits. The Chanel bag has a vibrant gold chain shoulder strap which functions as an accessory. Adding a pearl necklace or bracelet to the mix would have been too much, especially against the boldness of the stripes and the multiple buttons on the jacket. So I kept my accessories to watch, wedding ring, specs and handbag.

The blazer is a fun 80’s incarnation in slate grey. It’s longer in the front than at the back which Greg thinks is just fabulous. The effect of slate grey worn with neutrals is usually pretty dull for my taste. But the boldness of the high contrasting stripes AND the gold hardware liven things up. I’m really into mixing grey with yellow gold at the moment.

You’re probably wondering why I’m carrying two handbags. Well, it wasn’t intentional, but the larger handbag ended up functioning like a briefcase for the business meeting, while the tiny cross body was my handbag for the day. Roll on Spring! I have lots of remixed outfits I want to wear, but I need warmer temperatures.

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This outfit sounds incredibly fabulous, and the watch appears to e a real find!! Rock on, Chanel girl!
P.S. I am now seriously considering hunting down that Talbot’s tee if it comes in my size. A drapy stripy item with 3/4 sleeves would be just the ticket for our spring weather. Is it nice enough to stand alone in certain situations?

You look soooooo French, I expected you to be on the Champs Elysees, not Fremont Avenue N

The blazer is superb over the black striped tee. (Hiding under the table in case the sky falls down!). If anyone is interested, I saw a very similarly cut jacket in Express the other day, in light gray, black and white.

Love the hairstyle! Super cropped and very feminine on you. And the gold jewelry and the handbag chain make the outfit glow.

Your experiment is such a treat to see, I’m also fixated with grey and yellow gold and would wear this look head to toe in a heart beat. Did you feel yourself in this look Angie? You make a tee look so polished.

Fabulous, Angie. Coco would be proud! I have been seeking the perfect striped tee for a while. The varigated stripe, perfect length and rayon fabric have convinced me to drive to Talbot’s and check it out!

It is always a pleasure to see your outfit posts, Angie as they are a huge inspiration. I find myself returning to them over and over again and they help me a lot in developing my outfits. I guess I find that I am close to you in style but with more arty streak? I don’t know, I am not really good on defining my style yet
Anyway I really dig the simplicity and clean lines of this one and I cannot really reproduce it as I do not have a single item similar to yours. Oh bother!

Love this outfit, one of my favorites. I would wear this whole outfit to work in a heartbeat and have all these items. I really like the light colored shoe look and plan to experiment with this for the spring/summer. I do wonder, will light shoes work with dark wash jeans? The bulk of my jeans are darker in wash. The jacket has a lot of textural interest with the buttons and the chain strap and watch are the perfect accessories.

SO gorgeous, I can’t stand it! The blazer, the tee, the bags, the boots and that beautiful watch! That blazer is such a work of art.
I was having a hard time finding low contrast striped tees so I was all over this tee. Just received it last night and it is such a luscious fabric! Thanks for the recommendation for the tee and the lovely visuals this morning Angie!

I’m really digging this simpler, less accessorized version of Angie!! It was Coco herself who said a woman should dress herself and then remove one item before leaving the house and I think you were wise to leave off the peals this time. Thank you for sharing.

Michelle – I called the Toronto Talbots store and they said this shirt never came up to Canada. You can, however (as I did!) order it online and if you order today (as I did!), it should arrive in your mailbox around the second week of April. As Valleycat1 mentioned, it’s currently on sale.

Love this Angie! Never say never I guess. What really inspires me is to see people change and step out of their comfort zones. This is now one of the blog outfits that I would feel entirely comfortable replicating.

Miss Angie, you are just so darn fab. I’d sport this head to toe in a heartbeat. Greg isn’t the only one who thinks that jacket is fabulous – I adore it!
This is how I like to do “casual”, Angie. So inspirational, and I love how you incorporated the tee. “Weekend wear” has been such a trick for me, and this helps so much. I’ve decided I too am not a fan of just a knit with denim and the jacket would make it more “me”.

Oh, I love this!! The jacket/blazer is such a key piece to this outfit…and the vintage Chanel is gorgeous!! I love how you used your other bag also…I do the same thing, it makes sense!
I love your new gold watch!! GORGEOUS!! You look beautiful and just as fresh as can be

Hi Angie – It’s been awhile since I have posted but have been following daily.

I have retired and my closet has thinned out (great for me) to just the basics . Gone are the heels and structured work pieces and I actually feel relieved to not have to make so many outfit decisions! I am working on putting together a few “uniforms” amd will be adding the Chanel, Tee and Gold Watch look to my catalogue.

Fab! Your outfits are always inspiring. I love hearing about your thoughts as you put them together. So interesting to follow your style changing – I find it so helpful that you let us in on it as it helps me to see a little more clearly where I might be going.

You look wonderful: very chic and modern, but also perfectly suited to your meeting and setting. I think the precision and immaculate fit of everything you wear really elevates your style, so that, for example, a knit t-shirt looks polished on you! The watch and bag are lovely, classic, and luxe in an understated, confident way.

It’s a little bit weird: I have that Talbots striped t, and I had just ordered a jacket that looks very similar to the one you’re wearing, from Nordstrom Rack (online). I was looking for a longer jacket and this one seemed to fit the bill. I’m curious to see if it looks as long on me as it does on you (I’m a bit taller!).

Oh, love it when you give us an outfit post. This look, simple yet chic, is right up my alley. I love, love that blazer. I’ve been trying on blazers for months, but they’re all too plain and boring. This would be perfect- so I’ll look for something similar. Your legs look a mile long in those bootcuts!

And I love Fremont- one of my fave Seattle areas. Reminds me of Austin.

Seriously covetous of that Chanel bag. I think one like that might have to be on my lifetime wish list. I also love the classic jacket with a twist. It looks superbly tailored, who is it from? What is interesting is your deliberate under-accessorizing. I love to over-accessorize my neckline — chains, scarves. I keep trying to remember the old French adage about jewelry my mother taught me. Put every thing on, then remove one piece.

So classy and fab! Really interesting to read all these details about how you came up with the outfit and what makes it work for you. Definitely new elements in this look, and I love that you experiment, play, evolve your style.
Go Chanel girl

You do smart casual like nobody’s business, Angie! Everything is just perfect from head to toe. You take such care in choosing fabulous pieces and it shows. I’m bowled over by how consistently good you look!

You look amazing Angie. Wow that Chanel bag with the chain laying under the jacket lapel is a focal point to me.
The light colored simple shoes are also beautiful and show your more simple and clean style.
Aw Freemont, a great place.

Laura, you are clever to spot my new Summer fringe-less do and thanks for the tip about Express!

Lisa, I wear light shoes with dark jeans all the time because it bookends my hair. Experiment and let me know how it goes.

RoseandJoan, I absolutely felt like me in this outfit because the jacket stayed on. Wearing a tee or knit top on it’s own is just not my thing. This tee does feel like fabulous knitwear though. High five, for also being on a grey and gold kick.

Michelle, they do make your size in the tee! (Thanks, Mac). How do you feel about wearing high boat necks though.

Lynn, the sleeves of the jackets and shirts that I scrunch are all fairly tailored and slim cut through the arms, which I find really helps with keeping things scrunched. My dainty frame is overwhelmed by billowing sleeves, even when they are short. That’s why I wear tailored sleeves, which happen to scrunch really well.

Taylor, good to know I am not the only one who uses another handbag as a briefcase! And we should take about what makes an item vintage. This bag was new when it came into my life 16 years ago. Is it vintage?

Jonesy, can’t wait to see your new jacket and I hope it’s long enough for statuesque you.

Angie, I’m not wild about high boat necks, so sadly I’ll probably have to pass. But you’ll love this…Mac managed to track some down in Toronto, promptly went to check them out and then phoned me with feedback!! She bought one, but says she’ll use it exclusively for layering as she found it emphasized certain areas when worn alone.

Oooh I love this! (Big surprise, right? ;)) I would happily wear this entire look, especially that fanTAStic jacket. I’ve been looking for a way to upgrade my current tees to nicer ones, I’m definitely going to have to check this Talbots one. Love seeing your casual looks as you further simplify AND relax slightly at the same time, so inspirational for me!

Such a different Chanel look than what I usually think of as Chanel. I agree that the pearls would have been too much. I also think the buttons on the jacket almost act as an accessory as well, another reason to go minimalist with the jewelry.

I think~ vintage style~ would have been a more correct term…if only 16 yrs. It definitely doesn’t make vintage. But the style is quite vintage I do remember this style 25 yrs. ago…I think that qualifies…but I may be completely wrong on this.

Another great outfit and one of my favorites. Clean, simple, modern and fabulous. I love the blazer with the big buttons and the stripped top echos the cream shoes and bag. I would love to copy this outfit for my casual lifestyle. Thanks for the post. Off to find some cream shoes

So beautiful Angie – I love the way you mixed the gold with the gray and also the way you just let the chain on your purse and your gold watch do “the talking.” It is so much fun to see how your style is evolving – I really appreciate you sharing it all with us, and actually SHOWing us with your pictures! Thank you!

This is a breathtaking blazer! Funnily enough, I find the outfit lovely but a bit on the dark side, very understated and French. But when the photo with the cream and black shopper came up I suddenly thought “Now that looks Chanel”.

I am going to style my own little Chanel moments with a navy and light grey striped knit scarf which is all my budget allows. But going for a big inexpensive gold coloured watch to complement the look and experiment sounds like an excellent idea.

My optician yesterday wore Chanel-ish black and white pumps with her otherwise normal clothes and it made her outfit soar through the roof!

i have a question about the length of your jeans. i think they look fabulous on you, but my question is how do you keep the bottom hem from wearing out, getting dirty, etc., when they fall that close to the ground? i have problem feet (bunions on both feet that need surgery asap) and find i need my jeans to work for both a small heel (think kittens) and dansko clogs (my go to 12 hour shoe) but also a ballet flat or dressy flat sandal. i refuse to have separate jeans for separate shoes because i am rarely able to wear heels, but if the occasion permits, i’ll suffer through. i guess i’m also really cheap since my most flattering jean is a NYDJ trouser jean that runs $140+ from nordies and i don’t want to have multiple pairs of the same pant (i’m a minimalist) do you have any advice for (1.) preserving your jeans that fall at the very flattering 1″ above the ground or less length (2.) can you suggest an “in between” hem length that
is both long enough to be flattering but will also work with both types of shoes mentioned? i am 5’2.5″ and would appreciate some advice because i am clueless on this topic and respect your opinion and love your blog. am i doomed?

How uncanny, I actually thought of putting together a very similar outfit just last week (but it was still too cold here, so it didn’t happen yet). I was planning to wear my bootcut jeans with my cream Mustang booties, new cream and blue striped sweater and black blazer with white tipping. So it’s obvious that I love this look on you;-)

I hadn’t thought about accessories yet,but I’m really loving the strong and simple statement you are making here. And amazing, isn’t it, how a small detail like the mother of pearl face on your watch can suddenly make it work for you! Your blazer is gorgeous with those buttons and it is indeed the perfect T. Fab do as well!

Also: I love the recent addition of extra pictures on Facebook. Even more fun.
And: Freemont looks like such a great neighbourhood to explore.